When Will Peace Be Attained?
by KaireanAlbarea
Summary: Another version of the Aftermath of the Second Bloody Valentine. This story focuses on Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Uzumu Nara Athha and Shinn Asuka, the orphan from ORB. Collaboration with Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint. Multi-Chap. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Hello guys! I have made a Gundam Seed Fanfic. But it's not a single effort. This is actually a collaboration with a friend of mine. It started as a roleplay but it was getting good. This is a multi-chap so you can expect more chapters. I have no idea how this will end so I'm excited.

RP with Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint

* * *

It's been a full year since the war ended. Cagalli Yula Athha, the Chief Representative of ORB, is currently visiting the memorial where those who died are remembered. "It's been a while since I last visited you, Father…" She knelt down and placed a bouquet of flowers. "How I miss you…"

As she stood up, her cellphone suddenly rang. "Hmm… I wonder who messaged me…" She opened the message and saw that it was from the chief engineer of the military. "Lady Cagalli, the new G project is almost done."

"That was fast… I guess I better get back to the office." She was about to leave when she bumped into someone. "Shinn? What are you… doing here?" The blonde was surprised and blinked twice, as if making sure that Shinn really was in front of her.

The raven-haired teenager just raised a brow and asked, "What are YOU doing here?"

"I was visiting my Father… and you? I thought you didn't want to come back here?"

"Well…" Shinn sighed as he laid the flowers that he brought on the grave. "Kira moved me here after the attack."

"Oh, really… I didn't hear anything about that from Kira… that fool…" Cagalli crossed her arms and sighed deeply. "Anyway, what's your plan? _I know you still hate me_ …" She added as she whispered by the end of her sentence and looked down. She didn't want Shinn to hear her.

"The reason he moved me here wasn't only due to the attack. He wants me to work on the G project for ORB since we just found out that the Blue Cosmos found a replacement for Neo or Mu or whatever he calls himself these days…"

"Ah… I see. I can see that happening. They sure are tenacious. I won't be surprised if they train a new batch of Extendeds. Oh, and for your information, he prefers to be called Mu. I'll be checking the new mobile suits, wanna come with me?" She nodded and looked at Shinn indifferently. She remembered she was going to the hangar so she invited him.

"Yeah, sure… Got tired here anyway…" Shinn shrugged as he followed her. "You haven't changed one bit." Cagalli sighed. The two left the area and headed to Hangar IV where the new mobile suits are being kept. They saw 2 new machines, standing majestically inside the said hangar.

"Impulse Rouge is almost done…" Shinn said as he held a list on his hand. One of the engineers assigned on the project handed a piece of paper to both Cagalli and Shinn.

"Yes. But why does it have the same color scheme as the Strike Rouge?" She asked Shinn as she wondered why it was, well, pink. "Is this really for you? I mean, your Destiny's working fine, right?" she added.

"The damage to it was too much. Besides, I wanted to have it upgraded like the Infinite Justice and Strike Freedom. It's still in storage so I won't be using it any minute now. I didn't want to take the Impulse from Luna so I just requested something new for me." He sighed again but answered her with much respect as he can.

"She does pilot it well enough… I just hope we won't have a need to use it." The Lioness looked at the new models once again before her phone rang. "Yes, Who is this?"

"Lady Cagalli! We have urgent news! We have discovered Blue Cosmos members within ORB!"

"What?! That's impossible! What's happening! Give me a status report, stat!"

"There is a whole unit of Strike Daggers coming your way, my Lady."

"Damn! Come on, Shinn. We have to go!" Cagalli hung up immediately and pulled Shinn. The young boy didn't let her drag him and instead, pointed at the mobile suit.

"It's…! Shinn! Pilot it!"

"I will. Come inside. I'm not leaving you here." Shinn went inside the cockpit and saw that Cagalli didn't follow him.

"What? I… can't. I'll just be in your way. I can protect myself. Go out… and… be careful."

Shinn huffed and closed the cockpit, "Fine."

The Princess stepped back to let Shinn sort out. "Shinn Asuka, Impulse Rouge, Launching!" Shinn flew with haste as Cagalli was left behind. "I better go too… ORB will NOT fall into their hands…"

Cagalli finally arrived at the control center. She was greeted by the soldiers present. "Ms. Cagalli, will you be sorting out too?" asked one soldier. "No. I'll be commanding out troops from here." She grabs a headset so she can issue out orders. "Shinn, can you hear me?"

Still full of static, Shinn's voice came on. "Yeah."

"Good. There are Mobile Suits approaching in your direction, can you handle them?"

"Heh. These aren't even worth my time." He replied as he shot down 4 more enemy mobile suits.

"Gosh, you sure are cocky…" As she commented on his confidence, the alarm went off, indicating that there were more enemies approaching. "Shinn, there are more… How long can you hold them? I might be able to get to the Akatsuki…"

"Don't worry; they look weak, probably normal soldiers."

"That's really reassuring." She sighed. "Can you look for a mother ship? Something's jamming the signals. We're lucky we're getting to you." Shinn rolled his eyes but was alerted hen his camera picked up something. "Cagalli, I'm seeing something…"

"What are you seeing? Shinn!"

"It's…"

"Dammit! What is it?!"

"It's a Black Strike Dagger… Have everyone bring him down… I… have a bad feeling about him…"

"So… Just one? What do you mean, 'It feels weird'?" Before she could hear Shinn's reply, a beam rifle shot parts of the command center. "AHHHHHH!"

Everyone saw the Black Strike Dagger on top of an ORB ship and destroyed it. Cagalli was still trying to stand up after she fell from the impact of the explosion. "Ugh… What was that… Shinn, where are you?"

"I'm coming… I'm not letting that bastard get the better of me."

"You sure are confident. 2nd Air Squadron, cover the Impulse Rouge!"

The troops assigned the the 2nd Squadron all replied with a 'Yes, Ma'am' and hastened their speed. She was just starting to get a grip when the ground started to rumble. "Bring the battle far from ORB. It's doing a lot of damage."

"Sure. I see an island near. We can fight there." Shinn was the one who answered and dragged the Black Strike Dagger farther away.

"Okay. Be careful out there. I'll be handling everything here. Make sure you come back alive."

"Hell yeah."

More mobile suits are attacking ORB. The ground started to rumble as beam rifles, Vulcan shots and miscellaneous artillery, destroying buildings and whatever's on the way. Cagalli started to feel anxious. "Shinn, are you done?"

"Not yet."

"Tch…" A mobile suit suddenly fired its rifle on the command center. "No…"

Static noise filled the airwaves and nobody knew what was happening around them. As Shinn saw the damage, he activated his SEED mode and as well as the BERSERK system of his mobile suit. The young Coordinator continued to fight the enemy forces. A number of ORB soldiers died as they fought for ORB.

Shinn took his twin beam sabers and began to cut through some normal Strike Daggers. The explosions started to die down and the command center was in ruins. Cagalli regains consciousness and tried to stand up. "Ow… my head…" She succeeded in getting back on her feet and was utterly overwhelmed at the sight before her. "Oh no… Everything's destroyed…" At the same time, Shinn also made the same remark.

The young princess walked around, hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone survived. All she saw were corpses of the people who protected ORB with all of their might. She fell on her knees and cried. "No… I… failed…"

As she cried, she saw the Impulse Rouge coming her way. "Shinn?" She lost consciousness due to fatigue and internal bleeding.

A few days have passed before she would wake up. She started to regain consciousness and adjusted her eyes to the light. She heard a beeping sound coming from her left side. When she was fully awake, she saw Shinn and a person who looked like a doctor talking with each other. She stood up and touched her head as she felt a slight pain. "Ow… "

"Please rest." The doctor helped her lie down again. "No, I must… I must know what happened! Is ORB…?"

"I prefer not to tell you anything that might upset you, but, ORB is under forced occupation."

Cagalli was surprised but she didn't have the energy to react too much. She simply accepted what had happened. "I see… Wait, is this the Archangel?"

"No. We don't know where it is right now."

"Where are we, then?"

"The White Whale... It's one of our new ships."

"I… need to check what's happening." She stood up, only to fall on her behind due to dizziness. "You are in no condition."

"No! I need to know! I need to know…"

"Would you calm down for a moment?" Shinn butted in. "Shinn… So-sorry… I'm just worried about ORB right now." She said as she lowered her head. The doctor left the two to talk.

"No, I'm sorry…" He said as he lowered his head and clenched his fists.

"It's fine… Don't blame yourself… but… how's everything? Any news?" she asked.

"Do you want me to lie or to tell you the truth?"

"Do you have to ask? I want the truth, of course… I… wanna know…" She answered with a tear on her eye.

"It's under a national lockdown. No one's allowed to leave or go in. Outside contact is also being rejected."

"No… NO! Who… Who's responsible? Tell me, Shinn!" she held Shinn by the collar and started to cry.

"Blue Cosmos." He said calmly and looked at Cagalli straight in the eyes. "Why… Why does this have to happen…"

"They are terrorists… What other reason is there for them to do this? It's not the first time, you know…"

"I just can't accept that we lost…"

"They got us by surprised…"

"What should we do now? And are we on earth… or space? I don't know what's going on right now…" She said as she sighed deeply and covered her face with both her palms.

"We're preparing to leave for space. We're asking the PLANTs to help." He handed a handkerchief to Cagalli for her to wipe her tears.

"Meeting up with Lacus and Kira, huh…"

"Yeah. We'll need their help." Cagalli nodded and said, "Okay. Let's go. We have no time to waste."

"We need to re-supply first, though." Shinn said. "Why don't you rest? I'll tell you when everything's ready."

"Okay."

After a few more days of rest, Cagalli Yula Athha recovered fully. When she woke up, she was greeted by Shinn, who was beside her. "How are you?"

"Better. The doctor came in a few hours and said I can be discharged today."

"Alright."

"I'm going to the bridge to see what's happening out there."

"I'll come with." Shinn helped Cagalli stand up. As they walked, Shinn popped a question. "How's your piloting?" Taken by surprise, Cagalli answered. "I'm fine… If I need to fight I will. Why do you ask?"

"…because we need more pilots."

"Okay. By the way, is my Akatsuki on board?"

"No, it's on the Archangel."

"Oh… Speaking of the Archangel, any news from them now?

"So far, none."

"I see. Let's hurry. We need to take back ORB before they do anything to my people."

"Cagalli, they already have…" Cagalli bit her lip as she heard Shinn's reply." We still have to do something. There has to be something… We are not going to let them do this!"

"We will. We just need to find the right resources."

"Yeah. We have to gather everyone who's willing to fight alongside us. We must make haste."

Shinn nodded as he and Cagalli head to the locker rooms. Apparently, they have already landed on the PLANTs. Shinn changed to an ORB uniform as Cagalli changed into a custom ORB uniform since her Supreme Commander Suit was damaged and was beyond repair. They met at the bridge and told them that they will meet up with the PLANTs Supreme Council.

They arrived at the conference room where Lacus Clyne was waiting. Lacus hugged her best friend out of concern and smiled at her. She resumed her formal stance. "Lacus. Thank you for meeting us."

"Oh, that's no problem. I heard from Kira. I'm just glad you're safe." She looked at Shinn who was sweating hard. "Thank you, Shinn… for protecting her."

"It was nothing." He said.

"Lacus, first, I want to know. Were you, by any chance, attacked? Or maybe threatened?" Cagalli asked just after they both sat down.

"No. We just know that it's the Blue Cosmos. We also know that they have evolved and gained new members. They are no longer called Blue Cosmos, but the Moon Crusaders."

"Moon Crusaders? Why did they have to change names? I swear those people are war freaks…" She sighed and her dismay was evident.

"Well, you could say that they're the 'children' of Blue Cosmos…"

"Children? As in sons and daughters?"

"No… More like followers who want to continue their legacy…" Lacus said.

"I see…" Cagalli scratched her head as Shinn commented. "Looks like they're not giving up…"

"They also have a new commander. He dons a mask just like Neo-san back then." Lacus added with a hint of worry.

"I heard from Shinn that someone's leading them."

Lacus nodded and added something to her statement. "You may have encountered him already. Reports say that he was piloting the Black Strike Dagger."

"That was him?!" Cagalli stood up in surprise. "We believe that he's just second-in-command though."

"Second, huh? That means someone else is pulling the strings… Damn!" the ORB princess punched the table in frustration.

"But… the only base we know is the one they have in ORB…"

"All the more we have to take back ORB! But, what can we do? I mean, are we powerful enough?" Cagalli looked at Lacus and Shinn who were both waiting for her to calm down.

It was Lacus who answered. "We found something related to them. Do you remember the place where Kira and Mu-san got stranded? It's the lab where your real father worked at…"

"Yeah… Of course… Kira came back… in a trance…"

"Kira did…?" Shinn asked but was not expecting any answer. He was merely shocked to hear it.

"We got reports that people were sighted doing something suspicious a few months back."

"Sightings?"

"People trying to reuse the facility…"

"What?! We have to do something about that!"

"I know you'll say that. I have a mission for your group, that is, if you're willing."

"Yeah. We're going to accept. It's better if I handle this myself. I want to know everything personally."

"Though we won't be able to come with you…"

"It's okay. But, will Kira come?"

"I plan to." Kira came in through the entrance and hugged his sister. "You're… coming?" Cagalli asked as they both broke their hug. "Of course, I'm not letting my sister fight alone."

"Are you the only ZAFT soldier who's going to help us?" Shinn asked. "Dearka's coming too."

"Oh… Uhm… Athrun's not… coming?" The blonde princess was hesitant but she was able to ask her brother. "He was assigned to a different mission…" Lacus replied sadly.

"Alright then… When do we leave?"

"Any time." Kira said. "We'll get ready then… If you'll excuse us…" She said as they left. "Time to get even..." Shinn clenched his fist. Kira and Lacus left the room first, leaving Cagalli behind.

"Uhm… Shinn?" She grabbed Shinn's shirt. "Can I ask you something?" She questioned.

"Shouldn't we be going? Why ask now?" Shinn said.

"Yeah… but… Why? Why are you helping me? Why does it look like you care so much?"

"I don't know." Shinn replied seriously. "O-okay… Let's go… Sorry for the random question…I was just curious…" The ORB princess started to walked but Shinn grabbed her arm and whispered something. "I did it because it's my punishment."

"Punishement?" Cagalli was taken aback. "You don't have to… If you're not okay helping me, then…" She bowed her head down. She was sad that the war happened and she understood Shinn's pain but she doesn't want to force anything on him.

"I… tried to burn down ORB…" He said with tears on his eyes. "I know… but…" Cagalli said gently and was about to hug Shinn from behind but he shrugged it off. "Let's go. The sooner we do it, the better."

"I-I agree…" Cagalli shook her head, pretending that she wasn't about to hug him. She followed Shinn to the hangar. The two saw mobile suits lined up. The Impulse Rouge, Strike Freedom and a number of M1 Astrays.

"The Dominion Mk II is preparing for takeoff." Shinn reminded the blonde girl as they walked more. "Wait, the Dominion?! What…?"

"We can't use the White Whale. They saw it already and it's going to give our location. The Dominion Mk II has a different color scheme and it was secretly made for emergencies."

"Okay. Let's go!" After their preparations were done, the Dominion Mk II and its crew launched into outer space.

As they were nearing the Mendel Colony, Cagalli grabbed a headset and announced their plan of infiltration. "Listen up! As soon was we're within the area, we will send a few mobile suits to survey the area. That way, we'll know what's going on inside. Remember, we need to be as discreet as possible to prevent us being caught. Once we confirm everything, Shinn will sort out in the Impulse Rouge. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am"

Cagalli clenched her fists and said, " We WILL take back ORB… at all costs…"


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2~! Please report any wrong spellings/ grammar :3

* * *

As the ship was nearing the area, Cagalli ordered the first group to survey the area. After a few minutes, the pilots reported their findings. "Everything's clear. We can go on ahead."

"Good. Shinn, everything's all good. You can launch now." She said through the intercom. Shinn replied with a simple 'Yeah'.

"Impulse Rouge, launch!" After Shinn was released from the catapult, several GINNs and M1 Astrays followed him. It hasn't been long when a group of unidentified mobile suits came towards them.

"Crap! They spotted us, Get ready everyone!"

"Yes!"

Strike Daggers kept on coming as Shinn and the ally mobile suits continued to defeat each one. They thought that it's just the Strike Daggers. What they didn't know was the Black Strike Dagger is already on its way to take them down. Cagalli saw through one of the ship's cameras that a lone mobile suit is coming at them.

"What?! It's… the Black Strike Dagger again… Shinn! Do something about it!" She stood up in shock and took her headset as she shouted through the microphone to carry out her order.

"That bastard dies today!" Shinn shouted as he charged at the Black Strike Dagger. "Okay. I trust in you. Everyone! Let's do our best!"

As Cagalli yelled a statement of motivation, the Black Dagger flew towards the Dominion Mk. II and aimed his beam rifle at the bridge. Before he could fire, Shinn kicked the mobile suit away.

"That was close. Thanks Shinn… Now, maximum thrust! Aim the Lohengrins… Fire!"

The two lohengrins fired and hit many Strike Daggers however; it missed their one true target. "Tch…" She grunted as she saw the Black Dagger still in one piece.

Unknown to everyone, the Black Dagger pilot pushed various buttons on his mobile suits.

"Evade all incoming attacks! Don't let it hit us! I'm going out too… I'm helping Shinn." Cagalli ordered her troops as she stood up and rushed to the bridge elevator. "You take command, Lt. Christiansnen." Christiansen just saluted and sat on the commander's post. Cagalli then left the bridge.

All of a sudden, the enemy ship in front of them launched a Sword pack. The Black Strike Dagger then, merged with the pack. Shinn was surprised by this. "What? That's impossible… A Strike Dagger isn't compatible with a Strike pack, right?" He thought to himself. He wasn't talking to anyone in particular.

Meanwhile, Cagalli, who was at the hangar, was disappointed that her Strike Rouge wasn't in the ship. "Tch.. the Rouge's not here… Guess I have to make do with an M1 Astray…" She went towards a vacant M1 and went inside as soon as she can. "Cagalli Yula Athha, launching!" The orange mass produced-gundam then launched into space.

Shinn was suddenly alerted when his radar sounded and saw an M1 Astray coming towards him. "Cagalli?" Cagalli stopped a few meters from Shinn and answered, "I'm here to help you!"

Unknown to the two, the Black Strike Dagger took his saber and charged at Cagalli. Cagalli was alerted that an incoming enemy mobile suit is about to attack her so she gave out a gasp and took her beam saber and charged at him. "Damn you!" The pilot shielded himself from her attack. Frustrated, Cagalli took her beam rifles out and shot the Black Dagger. "Die!"

As Cagalli kept on missing her target, she was taken aback when the M1's left arm was cut off by the Black Dagger. She let out a yell, and tried to evade but the impact of his attack threw her a bit far. The Black Dagger then grabbed the M1 Astray and Cagalli tried her best to free herself. "Ah! Let go of me!" It was futile. His grip was tight. She tried the get the knife from the leg compartment in hopes of stabbing him. The Black Dagger took his saber immediately and was about to slash Cagalli. "Argh! Crap! I… can't let him hit me…!" Before Cagalli could react more, he heard a mysterious voice. She deducted that it came from the Black Dagger. "You do well… Princess…"

Hearing his voice, the blonde princess replied to him out of reflex. "What? Who are you…?" She stopped struggling and added, "What do you want from me?! If you want to kill me, just do it already!"

"I see mother's spirit in you…"

"Mother…?"

The Black Strike Dagger pilot gave out a huff and tried to shot her down again. Cagalli shouted in distress as she realized that there was no escape. She was going to die. The Black Dagger slashed the cockpit, but did not hit Cagalli herself intentionally. The wires inside the M1 cockpit were having a short circuit and Cagalli was getting electrocuted. She began to bleed around her chest as the wires went through her flight suit. "Argh… damn… I can't lose now…Shinn… where are you…" Enduring the pain, Cagalli tried to free herself from his grip. Just a second after she called out to Shinn, she smiled a bit when she heard his voice through the intercom. "I'm here…" The Impulse Rouge was seen flying towards them. He slashed at the Black Dagger and as he tried to dodge, she finally letting go of Cagalli. The two cooperated to shoot down the Dagger but he was able to dodge everything. "How can this bastard dodge everything we throw at him?!" Cagalli said furiously.

"Yeah… He's almost like Neo…"

"Neo? Well in a sense… but he's way more skillful… What is he?"

"Someone dangerous, I guess…"

As the two tried many strategies to defeat him, Kira's ship was now on their way to help Cagalli and Shinn. They were meant to be the back-up in case they need extra power. Kira saw from the ship's camera that his two friends were fighting a Black Strike Dagger, and losing.

As they continued to fight, Cagalli then noticed that Kira's ship was coming towards them. "Back up's here…"

Kira informed the troops that he was sorting out in his Strike Freedom. He went to the hangar immediately and launched. As he was going halfway the distance between him and the battle area, his head started to hurt. This made him halt in the middle of space.

Meanwhile, the battle between Shinn, Cagalli and the Black Dagger pilot was still ongoing. "I think… I won't be able to hold much longer…" Cagalli said as she realized that the M1 only has a leg left and there were more wires dangling inside the cockpit than earlier. "Wait… Shinn… I can see Kira from afar. I'm going back to the ship … I'll let you handle it…" Cagalli glanced to the right and saw the Strike Freedom flying towards them. Cagalli was now flying away from the fight.

"Hey wait! I can't let you go by yourself! Your M1 is too damaged… it'll explode…!" Shinn said with worry. "No, it's fine… Don't worry about me. Kira's forces are coming here now. I'll be fine." She gave out a weak smile, ensuring Shinn that she will be alright. Cagalli stepped on the thruster and hurried back to the ship. "You are dead…" Shinn charged at the Black Dagger as Cagalli was flying away.

While Cagalli was trying to escape, Kira's headache subsided. He went to help Shinn. He opened his PA system and told Cagalli that he's going to back her up until she gets back safely after he saw her leaving the battle. After he backed her up, he proceeded to help Shinn. He aimed his DRAGOON system and activated it. Seeing as he failed in hitting him, he flew near Shinn and said, "I'm here."

"Good, Shoot him down."

"You don't have to tell me twice." He took out his beam rifles and tried to shoot him down again. As they expected, he was able to dodge again. "Tch." Kira calmly took his beam saber out and slashed at the enemy. "Why won't this guy go down…" Kira was getting frustrated but was then interrupted by a buzz in his head. "Argh!" He put his hands on his head as he stopped charging at the enemy. That time, Cagalli was already inside the ship and was about to contact him when she heard him groan in pain. "Kira? Are you okay?"

"This… is… It's like him…"

"Huh? Who are you talking about?"


	3. Chapter 3

"It feels like… Le Creuset.." Kira responded but as the headache subsided, he lost consciousness. Cagalli and Shinn both heard Kira's reply. They also realized that he fainted since the Freedom was now drifting aimlessly. "Someone get him!" Cagalli ordered her troops with a tone of urgency.

As some of the pilots heard her order, 2 Astray pilots went out to fetch him. "Keep fighting, Shinn." She said through the intercom since the young Coordinator was stopped due to the incident.

Shinn readied his sword and turned to Dearka, who was fighting with some weak ones on the sidelines. "You're with me."

"Yeah… I hear you loud and clear."

While the two Coordinators fought, Kira was then taken to the infirmary. Cagalli immediately ran to where he was worriedly.

"Kira! Are you okay? What happened?" She shouted at a dazed Kira. "No… ARGH!" The brunet started to vomit and was feeling nauseous. "Ah…! I'll get something…" She took some cloth from a basin nearby and wiped Kira's face. "You have to rest… please…"

"I can't… bot while there's another one…" He tried to stand up but the princess forces him to lie down. "It's fine! Shinn can handle it… Besides, you're in no condition to go out right now!"

As the siblings argued, Shinn and Dearka were having a hard time defeating the Black Dagger pilot. "Damn! Why won't he die? I'm almost out of power… hey, Dearka, think we can defeat him?" Shinn slashed at the enemy as he talked.

Before Dearka could muster a reply, the Black Dagger started to retreat. "Huh?"

"We will meet again." The Black Dagger's pilot's voice was heard and the 2 were dumbfounded. Shinn clutched the thrusters tightly. Let's go back." Dearka sighed in relief in secret and followed Shinn back.

The two were changing to their regular uniform when Shinn punched the wall. "He got away… Crap…"

"Calm down." Dearka's hand was on Shinn's shoulder, hoping that he'll calm down. "How the hell will I calm down if I know that that guy is still out there?" He shouted at Dearka, as his anger was off the charts. "If you're this angry, something must've happened before we came…"

"Cagalli almost got killed!"

"Cagalli?" Dearka questioned with a raised brow.

"Ye-yeah…. She fought too… but we were no match…" Shinn blushed in embarrassment as he noticed that his tone indicated that he was real concerned for Cagalli.

"If you act this way, you're just going to get weaker instead of stronger." He reprimanded.

"I know! I'm just frustrated that we're so powerless against him…" Shinn bowed down and clenched his fists. "You will get him next time." Dearka wrapped his arm around Shinn as he replied, "Of course I will."

The two went to infirmary and checked on Kira. They saw Cagalli by his side, and Kira sweating real hard. The boy hurried to Kira's side. "Kira! Hey, are you okay?"

As he asked, the doctor attending to Kira came in with a serious face. "I have bad news regarding his condition…"

"What is it?" He turned to the doctor and glared at him. "His body is deteriorating."

"What…? What do you mean?" Cagalli reacted faster than anyone else inside the room. Shinn just gave an expression of shock.

"It's sort of a condition when someone's organs stops from functioning well… I got information about Rau Le Creuset and Rey Za Burrel's case… I take it that you know they are… clones?"

The three young adults were quiet but the nodded at the doctor. "But… Kira isn't a clone…. So why?"

"That fact is still hard to explain. The only thing I can say is, this condition was triggered during the battle."

Shinn was still in a state of shock but he heard Cagalli crying. She was not talking and she was trying real hard to not cry. "I'm sorry if we couldn't give you a more detailed answer. It's as if his body just gave up…"

"How was that even possible…?" The ruby eyed boy still couldn't believe what he heard from the white clad figure behind them. Cagalli was already crying non-stop, with Shinn cradling her. "Will he be okay? I mean, for a while at least?" He took all his remaining composure to ask the doctor.

"Truth be told, I have no idea… and it seems it isn't cureable."

Hearing the truth from the doctor, Cagalli looked up at him, with tears flowing down her face. "No… no… it can't be…" Cagalli hugged Shinn tight and started to cry even harder. The doctor's head was down and since he doesn't have anything to say, he left the room, leaving Shinn, Cagalli, Dearka and an unconscious Kira behind.

"I can't… please… Don't take him away from me…"

Shinn hated seeing her like this. He remembered how it felt to lose a family member. He knew she already lost the figure she called father and he couldn't accept that even her brother will be taken from her. He wanted the pain to stop but he didn't know how. As he gathered his thoughts, an idea suddenly sprung.

"Hey… just a thought… weren't those guys from the Moon Crusaders have a base in Mendel? I've heard that Le Creuset was created there…"

Still fresh from crying, Cagalli answered Shinn. "Yeah… that's also where we were born… Kira and I… Why?"

"What if there's something there that would lead us to a cure?"

"You think so? I mean, if their base is located there, they might have taken what's left of that place…"

Shinn looked at Cagalli with worry. He wasn't sure about what to say to her since he doesn't want her to worry too much. "Well, maybe it's possible… There's no harm in trying, right?"

"I agree… Okay, we're going then…"

The two went their separate ways. Shinn was working on his Impulse Rouge as Cagalli prepared the troops who were coming with them. After Shinn was done, he went to the room where Cagalli was. Cagalli turned her head and saw Shinn coming in. "Oh, Shinn."

"Hey." He said softly. "Are you ready for the mission?" The blonde princess asked Shinn. "Yeah. I just came here to see if you were… well." He said as he bowed his head down. "I'll be fine… I think…" Her head was down as she remembered Kira who was currently suffering. Tears started to fall on from her eyes. Shinn remembered his sister and he tried to understand what the young princess was going through. Cagalli and Shinn were both quiet for a while when she broke the silence.

"So-sorry… I didn't mean to make the atmosphere sad… I just… I'm not sure if I can be of help…"

"You will be… You're his sister."

"Hm… yeah… I guess I can't feel down right now… Kira needs me…"

"I've seen too many sad people… I don't want to see you sad too…"

"Alright… I'll be strong… for Kira…"

Shinn smiled at her and hugged her tight.


End file.
